


Sick Days

by i_amthecosmos



Series: The Small Town Series [17]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Sick Fic, Sweetness, small town verse, taking care of partner, throwing up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-11 01:48:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15304734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_amthecosmos/pseuds/i_amthecosmos
Summary: Louis gets sick at work.





	Sick Days

**Author's Note:**

> Aw yeah, we're clearing out the WIPS today. Here's another one from the small town au. Just a bit of fluff.

Louis’s cousin let him go home early after the second time he had to run to the bathroom to throw up. She even called Liam for him while Louis laid down on the cold tile and wished for death. 

It took entirely too long, but soon enough Liam’s car was in the alley outside the back. Jackie the new trainee helped steer Louis out the door, and then Liam had him in their car. “Taking you right home,” Liam muttered, and Louis tried not to puke again when Liam hit the gas hard. 

“I’m gonna puke until I die,” Louis mumbled as Liam led him into the house. He was walked to their room, and Liam helped him take his clothes off. “I don’t think I can keep anything down. “Are you going back to work?”

“Nope. Gonna stay with you. I’m going to the store, okay? Just to buy some crackers and 7Up.” Louis nodded, feeling the chills come back. He curled up in a sheet, and noticed the bucket that Liam had left him right when he heard the door close.

Louis dry-heaved a few times while Liam was gone, but then he fell asleep. Louis opened his eyes to see a glass of 7Up put on the bedside table, and some saltines on a paper towel. “Don’t feel like you have to try them now,” Liam said. “I’m gonna be in the living room. Do you want me to put any music on?” 

“Whitney Houston,” Louis said. “Or wait, the Stone Roses.” He’d recently started listening to them and thought they were fantastic. “I’m gonna be passing out a lot anyway.” The Stone Roses were the best music for an altered state. 

Liam put the music on without comment, even though Louis knew that Liam didn’t like it much. Louis zoned out for a while on distorted guitars. When he woke up, it was an hour later and he was thirsty. “Liam, help me. Get this glass for me.”

“Don’t think you can hold it?” Liam was in his room within seconds. Louis was trying to struggle up into a sitting position when Liam came over. He carefully propped Louis up on pillows, then got the glass. “Just sip a little bit, all right? Don’t gulp it.” 

“Don’t have to tell me that,” Louis said, and then he promptly tried to swallow a big mouthful of soda. He spit most of it out, onto the sheets. “Sorry.”

“Try again,” Liam said, not even scolding him. Louis took a smaller sip, and he was able to swallow it. “Do you want another?”

“Not right now. I’m going to rest more. See if it stays down.” Louis curled back on his side, and he felt Liam kiss is forehead before leaving him again.

The next time he woke up, he was able to pull himself up to a sitting position. He took another sip of 7Up, and the tried a cracker. He nibbled at one until he’d eaten half of it, then laid back down. It was quiet, and he wasn’t sure where Liam was. However he wasn’t ready to go looking for him, so he just rested. 

After a while, he knew he was starting to feel better, because he was bored. “Liam? Come in here and entertain me.” His voice was shaky, but he was pretty sure he was heard. Sure enough, Liam was in the room in a few seconds.

“You’re bored I take it. Do you want me to turn the TV on?” They’d gotten a second TV when they got the house, which had more space. They didn’t actually use it much, but it existed. “Do you want me to get you some Pepto? Something else?”

“I don’t know, Daytime TV is so weird. The only time you say gay people is on the talk shows where they treat us like zoo animals. And I’ll watch them too.”

“Maybe put in a movie?” They also had a VCR for the TV. “We can put in Time Bandits.” 

“Yes. And Buckaroo Banzai.” Liam got up and got the movies from the living room, and he put Time Bandits in first. Liam giggled, watching the silly kid’s fantasy with a dark side. He grayed in and out, but he saw the majority of the movie, and drank some more 7Up as he did so.

“Fuck,” Louis said suddenly, and Liam looked over from where he was reading a magazine. “I got sick at work.”

“Yeah, so? The flu’s going around.”

“But you know what will happen. Every time I get the sniffles it’s used as evidence that I’m HIV positive and on my last legs. It’s happened three times in the past year and a half. Half of this town’s been waiting for me to die since they found out what AIDS was.” 

“Well, then there’s nothing to do is there? Just get better and don’t worry. “ Liam smiled at him, and Louis settled into a grumpy silence. Liam didn’t get treated the same way he did, and sometimes he was oblivious to that. Louis never knew how to bring it up to him so he mostly just tried to ignore it. It was hard to explain to your boyfriend that he had straight-passing privilege. 

“Don’t be upset,” Liam cooed. “I’d kiss you but I don’t want to get sick too.”

“You probably will anyway,” Louis grumbled. “But put Buckaroo Banzai in now.” Liam sighed, pretending to be offended by Louis bossing him around, and put it on. Louis watched it, drifting in and out of sleep again, but feeling stronger. 

When he woke up again, Liam was looming over him. “I found some Phenergen if you want to take it.”

“I don’t know, I feel better now. Maybe one.” Liam gave him the little pill, and Louis swallowed it with the 7Up. “Thank you baby. You’re so good to me.” 

“Just take care of me when I get it.” Liam ruffled his hair. “You sweated a lot, babe. Do you want a shower?”

“Don’t know if I’m ready to stand up that long,” Louis said. “But I will if you get in with me.” 

“I’ll help you,” Liam said, and Louis grinned as Liam carefully pulled him in, and walked with him to the shower. He sat on the toilet while Liam helped him out of his clothes, and then propped him up when they were in the shower together. 

“I love that you’re this strong,” Louis muttered. “Especially now.”   
“Don’t worry about it,” Liam said. “You’re not a burden.” Louis didn’t answer, just tried to get his weak little arms to cooperate enough to soap him up. 

“Hey,” he said suddenly. “Do we have any savings? I want to go somewhere nice in a few months. Maybe we could go to Mardi Gras.” 

“We’ve just gotten this house,” Liam said, moving Louis around to rinse him off. “There’s not a lot left to spend on trips. But we can try to go for a weekend, maybe not Mardi Gras. It’ll be expensive and crowded.”

“Maybe Southern Decadence then,” Louis said, his eyes slipping shut. “I’m going to fall asleep, Liam.”

“No, stay awake.” Liam moved him out of the shower and onto the toilet, then shut the water off. Then he was drying Louis off. “Right back in bed with you. I’ll wash the sheets later.” 

“Okay,” Louis said, only hearing about half of it. Then the anti-nausea medication took him down. When he woke up again, it was dark out. 

Liam wasn’t in bed yet, so Louis turned on a lamp, and had some of the 7Up that was watered down by melting ice cubes. He was feeling stronger, like he could get out of bed a bit. So he got up, and walked carefully into the living room. 

Liam was having some food, and the smell of it made Louis’s stomach flip a bit. But he stood in the doorway. “Hey,” he said.

“Lou, you’re up. Are you okay, do you need to sit?” Liam got up and helped Louis to a chair. “Why did you get up?”

“Because I’ve been asleep all day and now I’m a bit restless, that’s all. I’ll probably drop back to sleep by the time you go. You’re having dinner?”

“More like bedtime snack, yesterday’s leftovers. It’s nearly ten. Do you think you can go to work tomorrow?” Liam rubbed his back, and Louis leaned in. 

“I guess I’ll find out when I wake up. I probably will, this feels like a 24-hour bug.” He thought about how people might be looking at him tomorrow, and tried to dismiss it. It was a hard thing to think about. 

Liam kissed his temple. “Stop that, you’ll get it next,” Louis said, weakly batting at his boyfriend.

“So what. You’ll take care of me if I do.” Liam kissed him again. Liam decided to leave then, walked on unsteady legs to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth, and went back to bed. Liam wasn’t far behind him. 

“Night,” Louis said, and was answered with a snore. He fell asleep then.

…

Louis woke up the next morning to groaning. He sat up and saw Liam in a crumpled heap on the floor of the bathroom. “Shit.” Louis got up and grabbed the phone on his way over. “Hey, I don’t think I can come in today. I’m still not feeling well, don’t want to get the whole crew sick. Sorry. See you.” Then Louis hung up. “Gonna miss those tips, but oh well.”

“I can stay at home by myself,” Liam moaned, and then retched. Louis pulled him up so he could hit the toilet. “You don’t get sick days.” 

“Shut up. You did it for me, I’ll do it for you. And I’ve been there long enough to call in a few favors.” Louis helped Liam up, and helped him to the bed. “We’ve got more of that Phenergen, don’t we?” 

“Yeah,” Liam said, voice weak. “I’m tired.” 

“Rest.” Louis got the bucket and put it on Liam’s side of the bed, then went to get the 7Up and crackers. He knew he’d miss the money out of his paycheck come the end of the week, but he had to stay. Liam was his to take care of.


End file.
